Ichiro
Ichiro (一郎), created by Fujio Akatsuka, is a supporting character from the series Otasuke-kun. He also exists as a a commonly-used "star" that is part of Akatsuka's Star System, appearing in many works through the 1960s to 1990s. He is also known for being Sanzo ("San-chan") in Songo-kun. Overview As part of the Akatsuka Star System, Ichiro is often depicted as a ridiculously foolish young man who's usually set as a sidekick to a lead character, such as Otasuke or Songo. When not in a significant role, he is often instead seen amongst other characters in crowd scenes or will pop up as a bit part. His character is an evolution of an earlier prototype "boss' son" character that appeared in the one-shot I am a Salaryman, which also included prototypes of Otasuke (though looking more like an early Osomatsu) and Tamao. A child that seemed to be a rough prototype of Ichiro also appears early on in Osomatsu-kun, long before this character shows up himself. Physical Appearance Ichiro is a scrawny young boy with a rounded, visibly smooth head, and pointed, jutting beak-like mouth and facial shape in profile view. However, when viewed from the front, his mouth appears much smoother, though wide. He is depicted with sparsely visible hairs on his scalp, arranged in a fringe around his bead-like eyes. This characteristic pattern of his hair is not necessarily meant to be baldness, at least in his earlier depictions, but would appear to be a reference to how Akatsuka drew his own bowlcut in illustrations of himself as a youth. There are times the top of Ichiro's head will be colored or shaded in for full-color illustrations as well, to suggest hair, but other times it may be left in flesh tone. As time goes on, however, the pattern of his head seems to be more compared to a certain type of plant (see "Trivia"). The hair detail is ultimately changed in his 1990s redesign, for the hairs are arranged more like Dekapan's and stick out some, suggesting an outright baldness and the "Fuji style" much like Dekapan. His face also appears less bird-like and smoother, depicted as more average and in front view more often. His nose shape also changes from round to sharp (like that of Chibita). Ichiro is most often shown to wear a long-sleeved dress shirt, a long, dark floppy tie, and a pair of short shorts that contrast against the length of the rest of his outfit. As "San-chan", he tends to wear a long gown and cloak as part of his travels, but is once seen to wear the usual "Ichiro" outfit. The gown can also be seen to be reflected back in Ichiro's own appearances in Otasuke-kun as well, in being his choice of sleepwear. Personality Ichiro is described as incredibly stupid in comparison to other children, and not necessarily yet fit for running his father's business. He is simple-minded and carefree, but often winding up vulnerable if pranked by another. Nonetheless, he is incredibly energetic as well, and is willing to go along with any scheme that requires him. He can be vicious when angry or otherwise provoked and will bite hard with his teeth. He is fond of his cat Mike, and will carry him around strapped to his back as if he were a baby and take Mike wherever he wants. In his original debut in Otasuke-kun, Otasuke and Tamao initially mistake him for being a 1st year elementary school child and express disbelief as he still knows some basic math equations, but are then told that Ichiro is actually going into junior high (making him the equivalent of a 7th grader in other parts of the world), shocking them at the revelation that he's actually older than them. However, his age can vary in other series, with him often shown to be an elementary school-aged boy hanging around Osomatsu or Chibita, or even an adult. His debut also shows him to receive a concussion which temporarily flips his personality to being much more serious and smarter, only for this effect to wear off when he hits his head again in chapter 2 (and the gag does not recur further). Relationships with Other Characters He is usually set as the son of a company president, making him the next in line for the role when he is old enough to take of the business. He is able to successfully assume this role in certain scenarios, where he is depicted as an adult or thrust into the role as a child. Otasuke Osomatsu Songo Chibita Bokeo Hatabō Masashi History Osomatsu-kun (manga) Ichiro first showed up as an unnamed associate of Osomatsu, as he attempted to pursue a pair of criminals. The two would be joined by Chibita in the adventure. He would next be used in aged-up, adult roles as either a figure of authority, criminal, or random bystander, before popping back up in his usual role of a young boy. He is mainly present in gathering scenes from this point on, although he sometimes stands out better when as a friend of Osomatsu or Chibita. When the sextuplets fought against the sharp-toothed Chibita in retaliation for his dental scam, Ichiro cheered them from the sidelines. His attempt to feed Chibita a candy that would rot the sharp teeth wound up being seen by Osomatsu later, and proved to be instrumental in their later idea to defeat him. Appearances in Animation Osomatsu-kun (1966) Ichiro's most notable role comes in "See Dr. Chibita For Tooth Decay", adapting his manga appearance. He is also shown to be one of the character faces present in the final shot of the first ending theme, making him one of the few non-''Osomatsu''-originating characters to be represented there. Portrayals Voice Acting An uncredited actress voiced Ichiro in "See Dr. Chibita For Tooth Decay". As Keiko Yamamoto sometimes covered bit parts in the series, it is possible it may have been her yet unconfirmed. Gallery Trivia * Ichiro's head and sparsely visible hairs can be compared to that of a satoimo ("village potato"), also known as the taro vegetable. This is reflected in a similar-looking character in Tamanegi Tama-chan named "Sato-kun", and Ichiro himself is given the surname "Satoimo" in a later usage in The Genius Bakabon. * The bird-like element of Ichiro's face would also lead to him being recycled as "Karaten" in Karappe of the Wind, ''in which his design is nearly identical save for the lower portion of his face now being an actual beak (to represent him being a tengu). * A similar but unrelated child character, Jiro (二郎), also appears in the original Shonen Sunday run of Osomatsu-kun. He wears the same fashion, but has key differences in his facial features. The name (but not design) would later be re-used for the Ichiro Satoimo character's younger brother in ''Bakabon. References External Links Category:Characters and Mascots Category:Otasuke-kun